﻿Traditional, not conventionaL.﻿

Artificial Sweeteners (September 23, 2014)

Artificial sweeteners of every type have been a subject of controversy for a very long time. Their proponents have played up the facts that they do not promote tooth decay, do not raise blood sugar levels (so diabetics can use them), and do not have calories. So on the face of it, appear to be truly fabulous. But the subject has been genuinely controversial, particularly in the area of artificially-sweetened soft drinks. Some studies have found that they post no health risks and can help people to cut sugar intake and calories generally, but some have found that they contribute to obesity and even to cancer. People who use them instead of regular soft drinks do see some benefit in the area of weight control, but to my mind comparing drinking sugary soft drinks to drinking artificially sweetened ones is like comparing hitting yourself on the head with a hammer twice a day instead of ten times. But truthfully, solid evidence has been lacking.

I think that artificial sweeteners should be avoided because it’s my feeling and part of my practice philosophy that you not only can’t outsmart your body, you shouldn’t even try because it generally knows what it's doing. More specifically, in this case, when you smell or taste food (or something that simulates food, like what you get at Krystal), immediately your body begins secreting the substances it anticipates will be needed for digestion as well as generally mobilizing the digestive system to deal with the food that's coming. When the foods it is expecting do not arrive, your body gets confused. So if artificial sweeteners must be used, I think they should be used in foods rather than in calorie-free products so the body is at least getting some kind of nutrition to act on.

But finally a study has come out that supports my personal prejudice in the area of artificial sweeteners. (What a wonderful feeling!) A study has found solid evidence that they can produce high blood sugar and glucose intolerance, which in many people is a precursor state to diabetes. Briefly, when people who did not ordinarily consume artificial sweeteners were fed the maximum daily intake, they developed high blood sugar and glucose intolerance AND the numbers and types of their gut bacteria changed dramatically – within DAYS. The genetic changes found in those bacteria corresponded to pathways known to be involved in obesity and glucose intolerance. When these microbes were then transferred into mice, the mice developed all the ill effects seen in the original human hosts. Hard to argue with those results.

The researchers found that diet has a profound influence on these bacteria in other ways as well, but I’m leaving all that for next time. Let it just be said that even though this is just one relatively small study that mostly examined saccharin, it’s reason enough to cut way, way back on the use of artificial sweeteners if you’re using a lot of them.

But what’s all this stuff about gut bacteria anyway? [Gut Bacteria and Probiotics]